In today’s fast-paced world, prioritising employee safety in the workplace is essential, especially in high-risk industries. Pre-employment checks are a powerful tool that enables employers to ensure they hire candidates who are not only qualified but also committed to safety. This article explores how pre-employment assessments, including Situational Safety Awareness (SSA), behavioural, aptitude, and health and safety checks, play a pivotal role in predicting and promoting employee safety.

When it comes to employee safety, making your commitment clear is key. Employers can set the stage for a safe and healthy work environment by emphasising safety from the very start. By conducting rigorous pre-employment assessments, such as Testgrid’s Safety Competency Framework, tailored to your safety needs, employers can significantly reduce the risk of workplace accidents and injuries.

Employee safety isn’t just about ticking boxes; it’s a science-backed process that combines a range of assessments to evaluate a candidate’s safety competencies and suitability for the role.

SSA – A Window into Safety Competency

The Situational Safety Awareness (SSA) assessment gauges an individual’s safety competency by evaluating their ability to recognise, understand, and manage risks. SSA provides a benchmark scoring system, indicating what’s considered “normal” and “safe” in a specific work environment. Interpreting SSA scores helps determine the training required to meet safety standards.

The Crucial Role of Data

Hiring safe workers is a science, and data is at its core. Data-driven assessments allow you to make informed hiring decisions, especially for industrial workers who must perform their tasks safely. Here are some critical data-backed assessments:

Safety Awareness – Identifying Safety-Conscious Candidates

Safety awareness is a vital component of a safe workforce. The Situation Safety Awareness (SSA) assessment is a legally defensible tool that screens in candidates who demonstrate a commitment to safety.

Cognitive Abilities – Can-Do Aptitude

Assessing candidates’ cognitive abilities is vital. Aptitude assessments help identify if candidates have the necessary skills, such as verbal, communication, abstract reasoning, numerical reasoning, and mechanical reasoning, to perform their roles safely.

Behavioural Assessments – Aligning Work Styles with Safety

Understanding candidates’ work style preferences is crucial, especially for roles that require teamwork or cooperation. Behavioural assessments reveal their ability to manage stress and collaborate effectively to promote a Health & Safety Environment (HSE).

Skills Assessments – Recognising Experience

Experience matters. Skills assessments help evaluate whether candidates possess the required experience and skills to work safely. This assessment encompasses experience with equipment, technology, and technical components necessary for the role.

Psychometric assessments are instrumental in identifying potential safety risks during recruitment. They provide employers with objective insights into candidates’ personality, behaviour, and cognitive abilities, allowing the prediction of their likelihood to engage in unsafe behaviour. Here’s how psychometric assessments help identify unsafe employees:

Assessing Risk-Taking Behaviour

Psychometric assessments evaluate a candidate’s propensity for risk-taking behaviour, impulsiveness, and decision-making abilities. Candidates scoring high in risk-taking behaviour may pose higher safety risks.

Evaluating Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence is essential for workplace safety. Assessments measure candidates’ ability to manage stress, communicate effectively, and collaborate. Lower emotional intelligence may lead to safety incidents.

Identifying Attitudes and Beliefs

Assessments identify attitudes and beliefs that correlate with unsafe behaviour, such as low conscientiousness or disregard for rules. Candidates with high conscientiousness are more likely to follow safety protocols.

Employers who utilise psychometric assessments in their hiring process gain valuable insights into candidates’ safety risks. This proactive approach helps reduce the chances of unsafe behaviour in the workplace.

Ensuring employee safety isn’t just a moral imperative; it’s a science-backed strategy. Through pre-employment assessments, employers can identify and nurture safety-conscious employees. By gathering data, making informed hiring decisions, and utilising psychometric assessments, organisations can prioritise safety, protect employees, and ultimately create a safer, more productive work environment.

If you want to talk to one of our experts about how you can utilise safety assessments in your organisation, get in touch with our team here, or call 03 9040 1700 to learn more.